By Water
St. Barts by Water
The island looks different from a boat: smaller, greener, and suddenly full of places the road does not reach.
The Magnara Desk · 18 June 2026 · Facts reviewed 1 August 2026
Photograph: Matthew Hernandez / Pexels
Most St. Barts weeks are villa weeks, and rightly so. But the island’s best mornings happen off it: the beach at Colombier that has no road, the swim at Fourchue where the only other guests are at anchor, the slow return past Gustavia as the light comes down.
A boat here is a habit rather than an event, the island equivalent of having a car in the drive.
The shape of a boat day
Leave by ten before the wind builds. Colombier first, while it is quiet: anchor, swim in, walk the beach. Then around the point to Fourchue for a longer swim and lunch aboard. The good captains carry the day loosely and read the water rather than the itinerary.
Choosing the vessel
For a couple or four people, a well-run day boat with shade is exactly right. Groups of eight or more want the extra deck of a day yacht: somewhere to be out of the sun, and a crew that can serve lunch without choreography. Sport boats suit the restless; RIBs get wet and are the better for it.
What to arrange ahead
In season, the boats worth having are reserved early, like the restaurants worth eating in. The rest is detail: towels, the paddleboard, the diet of the youngest guest, and which afternoon the group would rather be back early for a beach club table that was also arranged ahead.
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